System and method for identifying and servicing medically uninsured persons

Abstract

A system for registering, tracking the medical process, and servicing persons who do not have healthcare insurance employs a central database available to healthcare providers, employers, and the public. The system provides a number of unique advantages to healthcare providers and employers to register their uninsured patients, employees and retirees and to individuals who voluntarily register. These benefits motivate the registration of uninsured persons into the system. The registration involves a consent form and a registration form which establishes the initial information for a patient in a central database. Each patient is assigned a unique identifier number and changes in healthcare status, treatment and the like are entered into the system to track the medical progress of uninsured persons who are registered. A variety of services such as specialist referrals, medical checkup reminders and the like maintain the system in active contact with all the registered uninsured.

1 . A system for registering, tracking and providing services to persons who do not have medical insurance coverage comprising: 
 a central database storing a number of uninsured persons along with their personal identification, medical history, and assigned identifier;    providing healthcare providers, employers, and uninsured individuals with access to a registration form for use in connection with said database;    providing means of communication between healthcare providers, employers and uninsured individuals with the central database; and    making the information on the database available to at least certain healthcare providers, employers and uninsured individuals.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  including means for providing information from the central database to the certain healthcare providers, employers and uninsured individuals.  
     
     
         3 . The method of identifying medically uninsured persons, comprising: 
 establishing a database;    soliciting uninsured persons to fill out a registration form;    listing the identification and relevant information from the registration form on the database; soliciting changes to the registration information;    modifying the information stored on the database to reflect such changes; and    making information stored on the database available to selected entities.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the step of soliciting uninsured persons to fill out a registration form comprises soliciting registration of uninsured persons from healthcare providers, employers of uninsured persons, and uninsured persons themselves.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the step of listing the identification and relevant information from the registration form on the database utilizes a public network such as the Internet.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the step of making the information stored on the database available to selected entities comprises use of a public network such as the Internet.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3  including the step of assigning a unique identifier to each uninsured person listed on the database and communicating such unique identifiers to healthcare providers for and employers of such uninsured persons.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the registration form includes the uninsured's name, contact information for the uninsured, and the medical history of the uninsured.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the step of soliciting uninsured persons to fill out a registration form comprises mass media and direct marketing.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the step of making information stored in the database available to selected entities comprises making information available relative to the provision of healthcare services to registered persons.  
     
     
         11 . A system for providing a registry of medical uninsured persons, comprising: 
 eliciting healthcare providers who perform medical services for uninsured persons to fill out a registration form;    soliciting employers of medically uninsured persons to cause the persons to fill out the registration form;    establishing a central database;    extracting information from the registration forms of medically uninsured persons including such information on the database along with a unique identifier for each uninsured person; and    making information stored on the database available to selected entities through public communications networks.    
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  further including offering services to medically uninsured persons registered on the database.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the services include contacting the uninsured persons to advise them of healthcare appointments.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the services include establishing medical specialist appointments for the uninsured.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the services include transmitting reminders to medically uninsured persons registered on the database to perform healthcare-associated tasks.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12  further including maintaining a record of medical service provision to registered medically uninsured persons on the database.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the step of listing the identification and relevant information from the registration form on the database includes sending queries to healthcare payers to determine coverage for such uninsured persons.